Illinois Public Media

Arts and Culture

Picture of students sitting on a set with Prairie Fire logo in foreground

Prairie Fire: Student documentaries highlight Champaign-Urbana community

 For this special edition of Prairie Fire, students in the Advanced Documentary Storytelling and Production class at the University of Illinois’ College of Media spent a semester producing five short documentaries highlighting the rich food, skating, music, martial arts and student support communities in Champaign-Urbana.
IPM Newsroom
Black Music Month performance by Certified Organic, June 4, 2026 at the Gallery Art Bar starting at 7:30pm.
Illinois Classical
Illinois Classical 90.9

Your home for Classical and more in Central Illinois.
Clef Notes

Composer Ilya Demutsky scores new “Eugene Onegin” ballet
The Joffrey Ballet concludes its 2025–26 season with the highly anticipated Chicago premiere of Yuri Possokhov’s Eugene Onegin, running June 4–14 at the Lyric Opera…
Dialogue
Man at desk, woman at desk, singer profile picture

DeShawn Williams marks a year as mayor; Inside the Lincoln School for Black children; and Mýa releases album with 70’s/80’s vibes
DeShawn Williams talks about his first year as Urbana's mayor; we visit a restored one-room schoolhouse for Black children; and Mýa talks about her new album.
The 21st Show
Screen captures from a video interview include Brian Mackey in a blue shirt and Mark Wolters in a pastel; in the background are a blue Southwest airlines jet and a the sign at a Mobil station in Rockford featuring gas for $5 per gallon

Summer travel with Wolters World
With Memorial Day this past weekend, summer travel season has begun. But have you seen those gas prices? We’ll talk with Illinois-based travel YouTuber Mark Wolters about…
The 21st Show
next to a paved bike path, a red bicycle leans against a tree in a lush forest

Biking 500 miles on the Grand Illinois Trail
The Grand Illinois Trail aims to connect Northern Illinois by bicycle. It spans more than 500 miles, from Chicago to the Quad Cities and back. And after 30 years of planning,…
The 21st Show
The late Miles Davis performing in 1987 in the old Roman Amphitheater in Caesarea, North of Tel Aviv, Israel.

Family and Fans Remember Illinois Jazz Icon Miles Davis
On what would have been Miles Davis' 94th birthday, The 21st asks family members and musical experts to talk about his childhood in Illinois, his impact on the discussion of…
Prairie Fire

Prairie Fire: Season 3 - Episode 7 - May 2026
For this month's Prairie Fire, students from the University of Illinois’ College of Media spent a semester producing five short documentaries highlighting food, skating,…
News Local/State
man sitting at computer

Behind The Mic:  Newsroom editor Arjun Thakkar thinks public media is integral in combatting information overload
At Illinois Public Media, Arjun Thakkar helps reporters with story pitches, sources, and final editing, and sometimes reports stories himself.
State of Change

Small gestures to make a big difference in preserving our planet
We visit a zero-waste general store, a garden bringing a community together in a Chicago food desert, a program protecting pollinators, and advice to increase sustainability…